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Do you consider it useful to understand sufferings and difficulties of living? If we can understand the meaning of pain, we may not reject it. Through my personal experience the best way to overcome pain is through unconditional love and acceptance. The non-acceptance of pain seems to make us believe that we are the only ones who are having a hard time, which separates the connection between our mind and our hearts making it more difficult to concern ourselves with the wellbeing of others.

Handling our suffering automatically gives birth to compassion, but struggling against it just intensifies it. Its sounds like a contradicition but the pain of non-acceptance is far more intense than the actual pain itself.

The transformation of painful experiences into bliss can be fully realized when we overcome the fear of pain. The meaning of life is confused until we overcome this fear. We find it difficult to accept pain usually because we think its bad and we shouldn't have it. If there is going to be pain whatever you do, then isnt the very purpose of any action to accept its consequences?

Remember the old saying: No pain no gain. Cant we all try to cultivate a positive view of pain and its benefits? There is no need to reject it because it is there for a reason...........

--------------------All you need is Love! Really thats it! Infinite Unconditional Love! Just develop that and all else will fall into place perfectly!

Intellectually this makes sense, but I think it's only natural to practice avoidance of pain, especially since in a lifetime we all know that some pain is indeed inevitable. And this being the case, we want to at least avoid the pain that isn't inevitable. But when it does happen, all that prior avoidance and extra-care we thought would make a difference makes us egotistical, as if we were the only ones in the world feeling this way.

--------------------I Refuse To Say I'm Lost Just Because I Don't Know Where I Am

Suffering may not go away unless we can honestly accept that parting is the ultimate outcome of all meetings. Basic acceptance that pain is the nature of life might enable us to lighten our mental worry and anxiety by reflection on the impermanence of all things.

We were born alone and will die alone. Its also good to learn to stop blaming others and be responsible of our experiences since they are result of our own making.

Even if we have obtained something pleasant without facing some pain, how long would it last?

If we can appreciate everything as it occurs before it vanishes and not expect things to stay unchanged as we wish them to be, we can experience peace in our hearts whatever the situation. Acceptence of the natural law of impermanence might enable us to be free from clinging as it provides a swift and smooth parting into freedom. We may not have to make any deliberate attempt to change things if we can accept the changes that are occurring in and around us effortlessly and respect this course of nature.

If we can set our hearts free from clinging, bitterness and unforgiveness as soon as the parting takes place, and do not wait to occur anything that is not yet due, we may be able rest naturally in the moment. Although it might not be obvious, parting is not only inevitable but it is as necessary as the meeting. When we see the movement and change of things with open eyes as they occur and not assume what should or should't happen to it, we can be joyful.

Lets not be hard on ourselves, it feels good to take care and be compassionate to ourselves as well as others, this good feeling comes from the connection of both heart and mind, with the interconnected web of all beings, seen and unseen, in this mysterious universe ......

--------------------All you need is Love! Really thats it! Infinite Unconditional Love! Just develop that and all else will fall into place perfectly!

Quote:egghead1 said:Do you consider it useful to understand sufferings and difficulties of living? If we can understand the meaning of pain, we may not reject it. Through my personal experience the best way to overcome pain is through unconditional love and acceptance. The non-acceptance of pain seems to make us believe that we are the only ones who are having a hard time, which separates the connection between our mind and our hearts making it more difficult to concern ourselves with the wellbeing of others.

Handling our suffering automatically gives birth to compassion, but struggling against it just intensifies it. Its sounds like a contradicition but the pain of non-acceptance is far more intense than the actual pain itself.

The transformation of painful experiences into bliss can be fully realized when we overcome the fear of pain. The meaning of life is confused until we overcome this fear. We find it difficult to accept pain usually because we think its bad and we shouldn't have it. If there is going to be pain whatever you do, then isnt the very purpose of any action to accept its consequences?

Remember the old saying: No pain no gain. Cant we all try to cultivate a positive view of pain and its benefits? There is no need to reject it because it is there for a reason...........

Anyone know any masochists?

Pain is growth; (not typically in the physical sense). Anyone ever get growing pains when they were younger? If you did... you'll know what I'm talking about, it hurts the hell out of ya... but it's just growth.

--------------------"Their is one overriding question that concerns us all: How can we get out of the fatal groove we are in, the one that is leading towards the brink?" Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"We may not be capable of eradicating the corruption of reason, but we must nevertheless counter it at every instance and with every means." Dan Agin
"Politics is the best religion and politicians are the worst followers." -It's ok to trip as long as you don't fall. -Substance over Style.
-Common sense is uncommon.

Have you ever tried to imagine pain as simply an electric pulse? You can actually change the way you percieve pain. Have you ever put your hand in some water, and couldnt tell if it was really hot, or really cold? and as you are trying to figure out which, you get both of those sensations, it feels really cold then you wonder if its actually scalding you and it turns really hot. Same with icy/hot gel, put it on your arm or something and just keep changing it from icy to hot with your mind. If Quang Duc can sit there engulfed in flames and not flinch, there has to be some way to change our perception and feeling of pain.

Quote:psilocyberin said:Have you ever tried to imagine pain as simply an electric pulse? You can actually change the way you percieve pain. Have you ever put your hand in some water, and couldnt tell if it was really hot, or really cold? and as you are trying to figure out which, you get both of those sensations, it feels really cold then you wonder if its actually scalding you and it turns really hot. Same with icy/hot gel, put it on your arm or something and just keep changing it from icy to hot with your mind. If Quang Duc can sit there engulfed in flames and not flinch, there has to be some way to change our perception and feeling of pain.

This only speaks to the physical part of pain though.

But on another note, I remember watching the news or something and hearing of a condition abbreviated CIPA, Cognitive, Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. So I looked it up and basically, people with this condition are unable to feel physical pain, so as children, they hurt themselves badly and repeatedly, often ultimately dying young from internally destroying themselves.

It just made me think originally, that the condition was somewhat a good thing, not to feel physical pain. I mean, you basically can cancel out that entire element of physical pain, because internal,or emotional pain is something different, right? But when I learned that the result of such a condition is harming oneself so bad that you can die, I thought differently.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is a metaphor in there somewhere, that tryig to avoid pain, or sheild oneself from the inevitable too much, is equivalent to dying early, i.e. not living up to your full potential, because we're so busy trying to avoid what we don't want to feel, that we also miss out on feelings that we would want to.

So Egghead, I do feel you in a way...I may not be as concise in my explanation though...

--------------------I Refuse To Say I'm Lost Just Because I Don't Know Where I Am